AHF Healthcare Centers are known worldwide for providing specialized, comprehensive HIV care. Their staff have up-to-the-minute knowledge of HIV treatment, and their clinical research teams offer access to new medications and treatment practices. While they do accept most major insurance policies, they also offer care regardless if the client is able to pay.

But in the Gay Adult Film Industry, many were wondering why the Gay Adult Film Industry was not involved in the campaign last year over Measure B. Considering that 20 percent of Gay Adult Film labels are Bareback Only production companies, you would have thought that the AHF would have targeted the Gay porn industry as well.

Well Bareback gay porn labels should remember to be careful of what you wish for because now the time has come for the Gay Adult Film Industry to enter the spotlight over Measure B and condoms in Gay porn in general. I had the opportunity of interviewing Michael Weinstein over this matter and for the first time, he speaks directly to the Gay Adult Film Industry. (here)

Interesting bit about “The ‘labia pride’ movement” in Salon by Tracy Clark-Flory here (2/16/13). Accordingly: “Rebelling against the porn aesthetic, women are taking to the Internet to sing the praises of ‘endowed’ women.”

Tracy continues:

Underneath a self-portrait snapped of the ruffly pink flesh in-between her legs, a woman writes, “I am 23 and so embarrassed of my labia that I still have never shown it to anyone — to a guy or even a doctor!” It’s a post submitted by an anonymous reader on the Tumblr ‘Large Labia Project.‘ The blog is filled with similar photos accompanied by tales of vulval shame. One woman writes of distress over the fact that her labia are lopsided. Another worries that she’s lost lovers in the past because ‘they all thought my vagina was weird.’ There are concerns about taste and smell, too, but mostly vulva shape and size.

Further:

Emma, the 24-year-old Australian behind the blog, tells me in an email that she was inspired in large part by concerns about the influence of porn. “A whole generation of young women who have grown up with ready access to the Internet are learning about their bodies and sexuality through this medium,” she says. “Often the first and only way girls get to have a good look at other girls’ naked genitals is through pornography.” But porn, she says, “is giving a false view of what real women look like,” so when girls and women compare themselves to what they see on-screen, they often “feel that there’s something wrong.”

I love this. I love that Emma has taken the initiative to create this platform, and I love that women are combating shame by sharing and diversifying what’s considered “normal.”

But also – no. No to this part right here: “[Porn] is giving a false view of what real women look like…”

Here’s the thing: women who work as porn performers are REAL women. They are as much flesh and blood as you and me. Consequently, they look like… real women. They may present themselves and/or be presented in manners that are unusual and/or not in-line with what you (the ubiquitous “you”) are comfortable with, but that doesn’t make them unreal. Whatsmore, as far as I know, labiaplasty – something alleged to be on the rise because of a false reality allegedly created by porn – is not a common procedure amongst women porn performers.

(pictured: I hate to break it to ya, but there is diversity even here)

So though I am open to the idea that some dimensions of porn may very well be over-representing a certain version of the “ruffly pink flesh in-between [women’s] legs” (problematic), the language here is very much sex-worker shaming (also, problematic).

There are most certainly skewed, even uncommon, aesthetics present in porn, but to point fingers at porn performers (and producers) as somehow encouraging individual shame and discomfort or something like labiaplasty is ridiculous. Because all you gotta do is watch more than one porn scene or look at only some of the available Fleshlights above, and you’ll start to see some pretty significant vagina/vulva/labia diversity.

Though I love Emma’s work and passion, she is shooting the messenger here – why not attack this issue on a wider societal level and refrain from shaming women who may very-well feel insecure themselves? #justsayin

Though they do offer a bit more nuance (Barbies and what not), Jezebel ultimately blames porn for this too (here 2/18/13).

(pictured: maybe the increase in labiaplasty is caused by orchids?)

And finally – “Winners Crowned at Fifth Annual [TS] Awards 2012” (from XBIZ 2/18/13). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend this year’s awards show… and unfortunately the word “tranny” still makes me cringe (hence my substitution of “TS”)… but yay awards, and congrats to all the winners!!